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OPINION

Renewable energy jobs: Putting the green back in Green Bay | Column

Solar panels at work at River Bend Solar Energy Center in Florence, Ala. The center is operated by NextEra Energy Resources, which announced plans this week to build and run a solar energy plant in Two Rivers that will help supply electricity to Algoma Utilities.(Photo: Thomas Pearson/Provided by NextEra Energy Resources)

Green Bay has a long industrial history, and a knack for innovation. However, global markets, automation, and disinvestment have hurt our industry.

The economy is changing, and we need to change with it. The infrastructure that supported our industrial jobs still exists here, and who’s to say we can’t retool these old factories to build wind turbines, solar panels, and the just emerging products of the next industrial era?

By creating incentives for homeowners and businesses to install solar and make energy efficiency upgrades, we can create more American jobs that can’t be outsourced, while promoting our homegrown energy industry. Moreover, if we build enough renewable energy capacity and make our buildings efficient, we can start to turn off boilers at our fossil-fuel power plants, which will cut harmful pollution and improve our community’s health and well-being.

Manufacturing and installing renewable energy in our community is a win-win. It provides good jobs and improves our quality of life. We are already seeing an uptick in renewable energy jobs in America. According to the most recent Department of Energy (DOE) report, solar now employs more than twice as many people as coal, but is still just a fraction of our nation’s energy supply. And wind energy is also on the rise.

According to the same DOE report, “the solar workforce increased by 25 percent in 2016, while wind employment increased by 32 percent.” These industries are just hitting their stride. And since non-hydro renewables are only 8 percent of America’s energy mix, a huge growth potential exists.

Green Bay is a perfect place for renewable energy manufacturing. We have an industrial workforce with the skills needed for manufacturing jobs. The Press-Gazette recently reported on Velp Avenue redevelopment plans. Let’s bring back Velp’s long-running industrial reputation by retooling vacant and aging buildings to manufacture wind turbines and solar panels.

But this won’t happen without the right economic signals. Green Bay should provide tax incentives for renewable energy companies to locate here. We should streamline our permitting process for putting solar panels on houses and reduce other “soft costs” of doing so. And we should encourage businesses to enthusiastically support our push for renewable energy through tax incentives and by showcasing businesses taking the lead. Maybe even the Green Bay Packers could go carbon neutral. Moreover, we must partner with Northeast Wisconsin Technical College and UW-Green Bay to train students for this type of work. Places like Buffalo, N.Y., and Milwaukee are taking these kinds of steps, why can’t we?

Moreover, we can take the lead in putting wind turbines offshore to harness the powerful winds of the Great Lakes. The small state of Rhode Island has built the first offshore ocean wind farm in America. Why can’t the “small town” of Green Bay be the first to build a Great Lakes wind farm?

By going all-in on renewable energy, we ensure a fair transition from a fossil fuel economy to a cleaner, healthier, and more economically robust community. In other words, let’s put the “green” back in Green Bay.

Gregory Hitch grew up in Green Bay and graduated from Green Bay East High School. He is now pursuing a Ph.D. in American Studies at Brown University.